Review by William Goss
"Sunday Night Lights"
Serving as yet further proof that the best intentions are often hindered by a drastic deficit of moviemaking merit, 'Facing the Giants' is a drama about football and faith that amasses all of the clichés that both subjects all too frequently indulge in.
A one-man pity party lacking only a trailing rain cloud, Grant Taylor (Alex Kendrick, also directing and co-writing with brother Stephen) is a football coach at a Christian high school who suffers a crisis of faith following six winless seasons and several failed fertility attempts with the missus (Shannen Fields). Devastated and desperate, Grant receives some canned inspiration from the schools volunteer locker blesser this is really the only apparent reason behind this Scripture-spouting stranger roaming the halls and sure enough, he brings God to the gridiron to turn things around.
The coach goes from pouting to shouting overnight and, within a week or so, remedies his losing streak, his financial misfortune, his various domestic woes (bedroom or otherwise), his unreasonably harsh critics, and the grades of every player,
not to mention that his worsening vehicle gets inexplicably swapped for a new truck with his name on the title. Thats right, people: if you bring the Lord, you get a Ford, its just that simple. Grant asks his players to honor God in life, awkwardly specifying when youre home alone surfing the Internet. There is never a character that doesnt have a Biblical verse on hand at any given moment, and as the countless montages of tackles and newspaper clippings breeze by, the Eagles inevitably find themselves against the titular team of toughies.
Funded by donations and shot entirely with one camera by a cast and crew comprised mostly of Albany, GA parishioners (practically all of whom are acknowledged in the lengthy opening credits), what constitutes a remarkable collective achievement off-screen regrettably results in a feature-length sermon that hits all the typical notes to unimpressive effect. The direction is adequate, the writing habitually hokey, and the acting acceptable, given the circumstances. On the narrative front, there is little evident creativity or originality infused into the football formula, and the school scenes are just as wholesome as can be. The SC lettering on uniforms stands not only for Shiloh Christian [Academy], but also for squeaky clean: there is neither so much as a jersey with the number 69 on it, nor any familiar curse substitutes,
and the ensemble makes for only one black character, who has only two scenes, one involving reiterating the word brother and the other advising the rookie kicker (named David, natch) to punt towards those Pearly Posts. Sigh. However, I admit that those who care more for the sport and/or spiritual inclination are bound to get more out of it than yours truly, the non-athletic atheist. In that case, everyone can just praise the Lord and pass the pigskin.
To say that the film preaches to the converted would be an understatement, as I find it tremendously difficult to believe that one would be sincerely swayed by any film, let alone this one. (If so, one should also avoid reading passing bumper stickers. Just a thought.) Nary a filmgoer or churchgoer could have the slightest possible doubt over wholl win the big game against the black-clad Giants, in addition to having every single one of their lifes hassles simply cared for. If anything, such overwhelming contrivance all but manipulates the faithfully devoted into assuming that God can not only solve everything for one football coach, but do it instantaneously. Certainly, many may buy into such a best-case scenario, but how does a high school championship game in Georgia stack up against the worlds greater burdens? If the filmmakers want to make for a miracle, they might consider being a little less selfish in terms of scale. Coach Taylor insists that the team philosophy applies to life, not just football, but he rarely considers their purpose ever being a less self-serving and self-righteous one.
Then again, whats to say that the Giants havent been praying just as hard, if not harder, than the Eagles? What then?
Audiences are rather understandably adverse to the notion of picking up tickets and popcorn for a silver-screen sermon. Religious films should be sensible and prove equally capable of entertainment than the average Hollywood product, albeit guided with a more conservative set of ideals and a deeper significance that scores through subtlety instead of pandering. Deity or no, just because it takes on the audience-pleasing formula doesnt mean it earns cheers by default. There is a difference between disliking a spiritual film and having an equal objection to the institution in which it is rooted.
Last years 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe' attempted to instill Christian subtext to transparent effect, while this years 'The Second Chance' proved it possible to make a modest message movie with a level head and small budget. In this respect, 'Giants' is ineffective in fulfilling its potential, yet relatively harmless in its outcome. At the very least, one can breathe a little easier knowing that Tyler Perrys name is nowhere to be found.
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This part should be repeated....
and the ensemble makes for only one black character, who has only two scenes, one involving reiterating the word brother and the other advising the rookie kicker (named David, natch) to punt towards those Pearly Posts. Sigh.
Shocking
An atheist not liking a film with a Christian message? Who would have thunk it? 
